


Time Undone

by LadyDawnstar



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Marauders' Era, Time Travel, Time Turner
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-18
Updated: 2015-11-07
Packaged: 2018-04-26 23:55:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5025619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyDawnstar/pseuds/LadyDawnstar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the battle at the Ministry of Magic, Hermione wakes to find herself back in 1976. While trying to find a way back home and not do any damage to the timeline, she gets to know the Marauders and other students of their time. Turns out, it's awfully difficult not to change anything when you already know what the future holds for your new friends.</p><p>Chapters 1 and 2 rewritten as of 31 Oct.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rewritten as of 31 Oct.

The first thing she knew when was that everything hurt. Laying there with her eyes closed, she found that trying to remember why everything hurt simply made her head ache even worse. She also found that trying to wake further felt nearly impossible. She was so exhausted it felt like she could sleep for a week and her mind felt sluggish, and yet despite this, it was impossible to drift off.  
  
When she finally managed to open her eyes, she found herself looking up at a white ceiling. Although the light was dim, it was still uncomfortably bright and she found herself squinting against it as she tried to puzzle out where she was. A soft noise at her side drew her attention and she realized that she was still staring at the ceiling, despite her eyes having long since become adjusted to the light. Turning her head seemed to take all her energy, but she felt a rush of relief  at the familiar sight. “Professor Dumbledore…”  
  
“Ah, my dear. It seems that you already know who I am, although do not seem to know you.” He smiled at her gently as the warm relief turned to cold shock. “I was asked here to help identify you, as they thought you might be one of my students. It is quite awkward, indeed.” She looked at him with growing horror that she couldn’t seem to find the energy to express. “Perhaps we should start with who you are, so that we might get this mess sorted.”  
  
“But sir, you know me,” it was hard just saying that much, but the growing panic made it easier to continue. “I’ve been a student at Hogwarts for five years.”  
  
“I’m afraid we haven’t met before,” he said. “Could you tell me your name?”  
  
“It’s me. Hermione Granger.”  
  
He nodded slowly before picking something up. “Do you know where you are?” She shook her head minutely, hoping this was some horrible dream brought on by whatever hex Malfoy and his friends must have hit her with. “We are in St. Mungo’s. The nurse asked me to give you this, should you awaken while I am here.” He lifted a small vial of something. “I can assure you it will help.” Carefully, and with strength she hadn’t known the old man possessed, he helped her sit enough to drink the potion. She was asleep before her head even hit the pillow.  
  
~~**~~**~~**~~  
  
Waking the second time was much easier. She cracked her eyes open and blinked blearily against the light. After a moment, she began to remember where she was and pushed herself stiffly upright. Paper rustled and she turned to find Dumbledore sitting in a chair next to bed. He was folding a copy of the _Daily Prophet_.  
  
“Good evening, Miss Granger.” His smile was there, but it was off. Subdued. “Tell me, how do you feel?”  
  
“I - Better. Sir, what about the others?”  
  
His smile didn’t quite falter, but it didn’t really reach his eyes, either. “What do you remember?”  
  
“We were in the Department of Mysteries, Harry thought Voldemort had Siruis, when the Death Eaters showed up. We fought until members of the Order arrived. Sirius fell through the veil, and the rest of us were running. Some of the Death Eaters caught us in the room with the time turners and…” she frowned, it got a bit fuzzy here. “I think one cursed me. I remember falling into the cabinet with the time turners… then waking up here.”  
  
By the time she finished, Dumbledore wore a thoughtful expression. “If what you say is true, I suppose that could explain why you were found in the Department.”  
  
“But what happened to everyone else? Where are they?”  
  
“I am afraid I cannot tell you that.” She started to protest, but he continued. “It is not because I don’t want to tell you, but because I do not know. I have no knowledge of anyone from the Order being present in the Department of Mysteries, nor am I aware of any Death Eaters who may have been there. I am, however, quite curious as to how you know of the Order and one of my students.” Hermione stared at him, speechless. “No, don’t tell me. I am beginning to think that, at least for now, it is better if you don’t tell me any more. You said you think you fell into a cabinet of time turners. Do you know how they work?”  
  
“Well, not how the magic works, but I know that they can send you back in time several hours. I used one to take extra classes in my third year.”  
  
“Yes, their limit is only a few hours. It is not long enough to have any major affect on history.” By now, Hermione was frowning. “What was the date that you went to the Department of Mysteries?”  
  
“It was the 18th of June.”  
  
“The year?”  
  
She was beginning to think she could see what he was getting at, and it wasn’t a thought she wanted to entertain. “1996.”  
  
“That is what I was afraid of. Do you know what happens if someone travels further into the past? Say, several years?”  
  
“No? I mean, if they weren’t careful, they could accidentally cause things to happen in a way they weren’t meant to.”  
  
“And farther than that? Decades?”  
  
“I don’t know.”  
  
“I do not believe anyone truly knows, but there are theories. It is believed that if one travels far enough back through time, time itself changes to accommodate their presence. I think this might interest you.” He handed her the paper. The way the discussion was going, her eyes immediately found the date. 23 July, 1976. “You might want to turn to page four.” She did, and it took her a minute to find what he wanted her to see.  
  
There it was, between an article about Quidditch and another about illegal dragon breeding.  
  
**_Dark Mark Found Above Muggle Home In France_**  
_The Dark Mark was found above a muggle residence in Fance late last week. Further investigation found the muggles dead inside and their daughter, a young witch who attends Beauxbatons, is missing._  
  
The article was short, and didn’t really tell her anything. Hermione looked back to Dumbledore, hoping for an explanation. She couldn’t see what an attack in France had to do with her.  
  
“I asked around at the Ministry. They are being very tight lipped, but an old friend was able to give me the names of those involved.” He handed her a small slip of parchment.  
  
_Philip Granger: deceased_  
_Jeanne Granger: deceased_  
_Hermione Granger: missing_  
  
“You said your name is Hermione Granger?”  
  
“Yes, but I - Those aren’t my parents.”  
  
“I guessed as much. I asked around and before the attack, it appears that before the attack, there is no record of your existence. I think this is time’s way of fitting you in. Incidentally, the Dark Mark appeared on July 18th.”  
  
“How is that possible?”  
  
“I do not know.”  
  
“But a time turner, it shouldn’t even be possible to go back so far.”  
  
“The magic possessed by time turners is inherently unstable. The magic of many time turners, coupled with a curse, or perhaps any spell of any great magnitude, could have any number of unforeseen consequences.”  
  
Hermione took a steadying breath, looking down at the papers in her lap. “I need to go home. I can’t stay here.”  
  
“I agree. Knowledge of the future is a dangerous thing. However, I do not currently know of a method of time travel that can send a person to the future.” Hermione nodded.  
  
“So then, what now?”  
  
“I will look into the matter of time travel, although I want you to be under no illusions that finding a method to return you home will be fast or easy. I suppose in the meantime it might be best if you were to attend Hogwarts. Doubly so if the Death Eaters decide to finish what was started in France.”  
  
She found herself shaking her head. It was all too much, there were so many ways it could go wrong. “I can’t. What if I accidentally change something? What if me just being there changes something?”  
  
“I am afraid things have already begun to change. This is the first reported instance of Death Eaters targeting muggles, regardless of any magical family members. When the Ministry learns you are here, they are bound to want answers. But you are right. If I gave you a time turner, I must have told you of the time traveler’s burden?”  
  
“Yes. One cannot change anything, they can only bear witness. But you yourself proved it wrong. You had Harry and I change something.”  
  
“Hm, if over the course of a few hours that may be an example of a self fulfilling prophecy, an outcome that demands certain events must be met. However, over a longer timescale, I do not know what sort of damage may be done to the time line. I must ask that you do not reveal anything of what you know to anyone, even to me. Can you do that?”  
  
“Yes.”  
  
“You have been given a life here, in this time. I say we put that to use. I will arrange for an official transfer to Hogwarts, and you will have some history to make your sudden appearance seem less unusual. What it has given you would be, under normal circumstances, rather painful and it is likely that some students may connect you to the story in the _Prophet_ , so they will understand if you chose to remain silent about your past.”  
  
It was then that a knock sounded at the door and Dumbledore pulled out a pocket watch. “Oh dear, look at the time. It seems visiting hours ended quite a while ago. I am afraid the healers will be most displeased if I linger any longer. I will have arrangements made for your transfer and, should you be willing to stay at the school for the remainder of the summer, I will return to pick you up when you are deemed well enough to be released. If not, I can find alternative accommodations.”  
  
“No, I can stay at the school.”  
  
“Very good.” The knocking came again. “I must be going now. I will see you again shortly.” He stood and plucked the parchment with her and her ‘parents’’ names on it, giving her a look over his spectacles. “Don’t mention anything about this yet. I suspect the Ministry will figure it out soon enough.” With that, he opened the door, revealing a very irritated healer standing in the hallway. She looked as though she had several choice words to say, but kept them to herself and instead gave Dumbledore a rather frosty look as he left.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rewritten as of 31 Oct.

It had been nearly a week since Dumbledore had visited her and she was a very uncomfortable combination of being nearly bored out of her mind, and unable to sit still from anticipation. The Healer who had seen to her that morning had informed her that she was well enough to be released, and only had to wait for Dumbledore, who’s custody she was to be released into, to arrive. She had also been given a note that had come by owl.  
  
 _Miss Granger,_  
 _I am pleased to hear that you are now well enough to leave St. Mungo’s. I will be there at eleven o’clock and will be in the company of a Ministry official who would like to interview you about the events that brought you here. They were quite keen on paying you a visit the day they made the connection and it was only through a joint effort of myself and the hospital staff that we were able to delay them until now, unfortunately with you on the mend there is no longer any excuse to deny their visit. I thought you might appreciate the heads-up._  
 _Albus Dumbledore_  
  
The note was now folded and tucked away into the pocket of her jeans. From past experience with the Ministry, she knew they would have a field day if they knew Dumbledore had had a hand in whatever story she was going to tell them. She had been receiving the _Daily Prophet_ since she had seen Dumbledore, but there had been no further mention of the mysterious attack in France. While that had given her no information on who she was supposed to be, she had begun having unsettling dreams.  
  
The dreams were largely the same. She would wake up in a bed in a room that both seemed familiar and yet she had never seen before. There was a commotion where she knew the living room was. She would sit up and, although she wanted to investigate, something kept her rooted to the spot. There was a yell and a crash, followed by footsteps running towards her room. The door would burst open and a woman she knew to be her mother would stumble in and collapse halfway across the floor. She would rush to her mother, who was telling her to run. More shouting and the hall would briefly glow with an eerie green light. A dark figure would appear, obscured by a long black robe and a deep hood hiding their face. They pointed their wand at her and she scrambled back in a panic, her hands searching blindly for her own wand. She found her wand just as a spell turned the room green. Then with a yanking, crushing sensation, everything disappeared. After that, she would startle awake with the vague impression that she’d just had a terrible nightmare.  
  
If she focused, she could come up with fleeting images of what these new parents were supposed to look like and bits of scenes she supposed would could have been fond memories, had they been real. There was a Christmas with her ‘parents,’ a summer trip to the ocean, and an interview with someone (there was an impression that he was the headmaster of Beauxbatons) where she learned that she had magic. It was all very strange, having these memories that she knew hadn’t existed moments before. She had to wonder if it was part of the whole ‘time changing to make her fit in’ thing, or if her mind was just making things up to fill in the blanks. Thinking about it too much gave her a headache.  
  
A knock sounded at her door at precisely eleven o’clock, drawing Hermione out of her thoughts. A man dressed in a very official looking suit and robes entered without giving her a chance to invite him in, followed by Dumbledore.  
  
“Good morning, Miss Granger. You have my deepest condolences. I am Digby Benson, of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. I was hoping you could answer a few questions for me.” He barely spared a glance for her, instead setting his bag down on the table next to the bed and rummaging through it. Behind him, Dumbledore gave her an encouraging smile and nod, which she returned nervously. When Benson had set himself up with parchment, quill and ink, he finally looked at her. “If you would, state your full name.”  
  
“Hermione Jean Granger.”  
  
“Your parents’ names?”  
  
“Jeanne and Philip Granger.” Their names, she thought, ought not have come to her so fast. It was one more unusual thing in a list of many.  
  
“Where were you born, Miss Granger?”  
  
“Erm, in London.”  
  
“How did you come to be living in France?”  
  
 _Good question_. Somehow the answer still managed to come easily to her. “My mother was French. She wanted to be closer to her family. We moved when I was six.”  
  
“I see. And you received your invitation to attend Beauxbatons.”  
  
“Yes, when I turned eleven.”  
  
Benson nodded, noting everything down. “Your parents had no dealings with other witches or wizards?”  
  
“No. They were very excited to find out that I’m a witch, but didn’t really care much for magic otherwise.”  
  
“And how was everything at school?”  
  
“It was ok, I guess.”  
  
“Any enemies? Anyone who might have looked down on your heritage?”  
  
“Well, of course. But I don’t think anyone would have actually done anything!”  
  
“No, no, of course not. This will be my last question, and I want to answer it as best you can. What happened on the night of the 18th?”  
  
Both Benson and Dumbledore were watching her intently. She dropped her eyes to her hands, clasped in her lap, thinking carefully about her answer. Obviously, he would know something she didn’t about what had happened. If she said the wrong thing, they would become suspicious of her, they might come to the conclusion that she was responsible. “I… don’t really remember. When I woke up, it was late. I could hear a commotion, and my mother came into my room. Someone followed her in, wearing a cloak and hood… I grabbed my wand and and there was a flash of green light. That’s the last thing I remember. I think I tried to Apparate away.”  
  
Benson was nodding again as he wrote all this down. “Very good, very good. And you didn’t happen to see the face of the cloaked figure?”  
  
“No.”  
  
“Very well. I thank you for your time. With any luck, this will help us find those responsible for the attack. Good day.” He gave her another nod, shook Dumbledore’s hand and left as abruptly as he had arrived.  
  
“Well, perhaps not the most insensitive interview I’ve ever witnessed,” Dumbledore said with a chuckle. “Did you make all of that up?”  
  
Hermione sighed. “I don’t think so. I’ve been having dreams of that night, and the rest of it just sounded right. I couldn’t actually remember what happened, could I? I wasn’t even there.”  
  
“Intriguing,” he said, looking thoughtful. Then he chuckled. “We get so stuck in our ways that we forget we live in a world of magic that we only think we know the limits of. Anything could be possible.”  
  
“Yes, I suppose it is,” she replied reluctantly. She had certainly thought anything was possible when she began learning to use magic, though it was still disconcerting to think she had somehow been given new memories.  
  
“Shall we? I believe we will have thoroughly missed lunch by the time we arrive at Hogwarts, but I don’t see why we can’t have something delivered to my office while we finalize the details of your attendance.  
  
Hermione climbed off the bed and paused to stretch, before following Dumbledore out of the room. They passed the healer who had been responsible for Hermione in the hall, but the witch simply stepped aside and let them pass with a brief greeting to each of them. Aside from her, they didn’t see anyone else until they reached the ground floor, where the usual assortment of witches and wizards suffering from a variety of ailments were waiting. Dumbledore lead her out of the hospital and down the street a ways before stepping into an alley. Standing in the shadows, it would have been difficult to spot them from the street. “Let us be on our way.” Dumbledore held out his arm to her. “Hold tight now, Apparition can be quite unsettling the first time.”  
  
The sensation she had felt in her dream was a pale imitation of the crushing she felt when the world whipped away from them. After what felt like an eternity of having all the air forced from her lungs, the world lurched back around them. Instead of the dark alley, she recognized one of the familiar side streets of Hogsmead. She gasped and caught herself from falling with her grip on Dumbledore’s arm. The contents of her stomach swirled dangerously, but stilled after several deep breaths.  
  
“You get used to it after the first few tries,” Dumbledore said once she had regained her bearings, “but there are many who prefer other means of transportation.”  
  
“I can see why,” Hermione responded when she was sure she had control over her stomach again. “That was nothing like how it felt in my dream.”  
  
“It is a sensation that is hard to describe with any sort of justice. Come now, it is a wonderful day for a walk.”  
  
The walk passed in comfortable silence. The nearer the got to the school, the more Hermione felt herself relax, despite the feeling that she should be much more worried. The grounds were emptier then she had ever seen them, not surprisingly considering the students were all home for the summer. Once inside, Dumbledore lead the way to his office and the gargoyle that guarded it. They were regarded curiously by the portraits they passed, and Hermione didn’t doubt that they were being whispered about once they were out of earshot. She had a feeling that only Dumbledore’s presence was keeping them from expressing their curiosity more openly.  
  
“Licorice wands!” Dumbledore exclaimed, and the gargoyle jumped aside, revealing the hidden staircase. She followed the headmaster up and into his office, where she paused inside the door as he crossed to his desk. The same magical gadgets she remembered sat whirling away on their respective shelves and stands, and the walls were still covered in portraits of sleeping witches and wizards. In all, it looked almost exactly like how she remembered it looking, despite being twenty years removed.  
  
Dumbledore was standing behind his desk, where an assortment of sandwiches and fruit were waiting, and motioned her to sit in the seat across from him, sitting when she did. “I expect you’ve been in here before. Most students are far more curious on their first visit. Feel free to help yourself, although if you don’t mind, I myself am quite peckish?”  
  
They were silent for several moments as both ate. Hermione hadn’t realized how hungry she had been until she took her first bite. It seemed that the walk to the school had returned her appetite, which had been larely missing during her stay in St. Mungo’s.  
  
“Welcome to Hogwarts, Miss Granger,” Dumbledore said when they were both finished. “As a transfer student from Beauxbatons, you wouldn’t be taking your OWLs until the end of your sixth year, but as a former - or future - student of Hogwarts, I suppose you have already taken yours?”  
  
“Yes. I took all of them, well, except Muggle Studies and Divination. I… didn’t get a chance to see what my scores were, though.”  
  
“If you like, I can have a retest arranged.”  
  
“You would? Oh, I would appreciate it so much if you could.”  
  
“Out of curiosity, what house were you in?”  
  
“Gryffindor.”  
  
“Ah, I would have pegged you as more of a Ravenclaw.”  
  
“Yes, the Sorting Hat said that at first as well.”  
  
Dumbledore stood and moved to a shelf behind his desk, where the Hat sat. “Well, for formality’s sake, let us see if the Hat still holds true to that decision. It normally refuses to resort students it has already placed, but I wonder what it will do for one with your peculiar situation?” He lifted the hat and rounded the desk to hand it to her. She looked at the ratty old hat in her hands, remembering her sorting at the beginning of her first year, before placing the hat on her head.  
  
 _‘Hrm…’_ whispered a voice in her ear. _‘Curious… Very curious, indeed. It seems that I have already sorted you, and yet this is the first time I have met you. What to do, what to do…_ ’ The hat’s musing voice trailed off.

_Well, you could just sort me again_ , she thought at it.

_‘I suppose, but I think you already know where you belong. Very well. Let me think… Yes, I do believe Ravenclaw could still be a good fit for one such as yourself. Hufflepuff, too, would not be out of the question. Slytherin… Well, while you will be practicing some of the qualities that would make a good Slytherin, that is not the House for you. No, I will stand by my original choice. GRYFFINDOR!’_ It was not quite shouted, but in the confined space of Dumbledore’s office, it still made her ears ring. Following the proclamation, she removed the hat and passed it back to Dumbledore to put away.  
  
“It looks as though I should notify Professor McGonagall that she will have one more addition to her House this year. I will see to it that the house elves make the appropriate accommodations for you.”  
  
Hermione spent a while longer in Dumbledore’s office before there was a knock at the door, signaling Professor McGonagall’s arrival. She had been quite pleased by the news of Hermione’s placement and bustled her off quickly. “Most students find the school a bit confusing at first,” McGonagall was saying as she led Hermione away from the gargoyle, “but you should have plenty of time to figure out where things are before term begins.” The woman had welcomed her to the school and assured her that she should have no trouble getting along with the other students. “We’ll take a bit of a detour past the Great Hall and the library, so you’ll at least know where they are.”  
  
It turned into a very winding journey that would have certainly confused anyone not already familiar with the castle, although the route they took back up to Gryffindor Tower was much more direct. “Now, you’ll want to be careful on these stairs, as this step likes to vanish.” They climbed over the step in question. “And the staircases in this part of the castle like to move, so you’ll have to pay attention that you don’t accidentally get off on the wrong landing.”  
  
As they walked, Hermione was finding it very difficult to pretend to be as interested and awestruck as she knew a new student should be. Of course she already knew about the vanishing step, and the moving staircases, and the best way to get back to the Gryffindor tower. She was already familiar with the paintings and the ghosts and the armor, and she knew many more secrets of the castle than McGonagall thought to mention on their way to the tower, like how behind that tapestry there was a convenient passageway that was both a shortcut and a place to hide from Filch, if one was out after hours. Hoping to keep the professor from noticing anything unusual, she followed a step behind and carefully gave the appropriate exclamations where they were expected.  
  
“Ah, here we are.” They stopped in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady. “The password is ‘Tabula Rasa,’ make sure you remember it, or you won’t be able to get in.” Turning to the portrait, she continued. “This is Hermione Granger, she is a transfer student who will be spending the remainder of the summer here.” McGonagall pulled the portrait, which had been standing ajar since she gave the password, opened and gestured for Hermione to go in first.  
  
Here, Hermione didn’t have to feign curiosity. The common room looked exactly as she remembered it, down to the placement of the chairs by the fire. It was unsettling how much it felt like she was home. She turned to McGonagall when the woman joined her inside. “The girls’ dormitories are through that door there, just climb the stairs until you reach the room for the sixth years. Dumbledore informed me that you weren’t able to bring any of your things with you, so I’ve arranged an extra change of robes and pajamas to be left upstairs for you.”  
  
“Oh, no, you shouldn’t have,” she said, suddenly uncomfortable at the idea of needing the school’s charity.  
  
“Nonsense. Dumbledore said that it is some difficult circumstances that brought you to our school, we would be quite happy to provide you with anything you need.” Something in Hermione’s expression must have caught her attention, because she continued in a softer tone. “You needn’t tell me if you don’t want to, but my office is open if you ever need to talk to someone. I think it can be safe to say that someone will be arranging an allowance for you, and seeing as school is not currently in term and there are no rules prohibiting it, I expect you to make full use of Hogsmead, understand? The last thing I want is for you to stay cooped up in the castle all summer.”  
  
“I don’t mean to cause any trouble,” Hermione said, still feeling guilty.  
  
“It is no trouble at all. Helping the students is what the staff is here for, and if it’s about the money, that is nothing. The school has funds set aside for exactly this sort of thing. The only trouble you might cause is if you go seeking it yourself.”  
  
Finally, Hermione allowed herself a small smile. “Thank you.”  
  
“You’re quite welcome. I’ll let you make yourself comfortable now. Remember, there is no reason to hide in here all the time, the castle and its grounds are yours to explore. Do you think you can remember how to get back to the Great Hall for dinner?”  
  
“Yes, I think I can manage.”  
  
“Very good, then I shall see you there.” With an encouraging smile, McGonagall left through the portrait hole and Hermione found herself standing alone in the common room, with no idea what to do with herself.  
  
Turning slowly about the common room, she wondered what she was supposed to do. Not just then, or even for the rest of the summer, but with the whole situation. Despite standing in a room she knew like the back of her hand, she felt lost. Suddenly, she turned and ran for the stairs leading to the girls’ dorms. She was out of breath when she reached the landing for the sixth years’ dorm and paused before pushing the door open. It was the same room she had used in her own time. She half expected Lavender and Parvati to be waiting for her, but no. There would be no one else to share the room with until the students returned from their summer holidays, and then she would be sharing it with strangers.  
  
As she stood in the empty room, her vision started to blur. She angrily wiped away the tears, but the harder she tried to stop them, the more they came. She sank to her knees, her hands over her face as it really started the last week caught up with her.  
  
At St. Mungo’s, after the initial shock wore off, she had tried not to think too hard about the fact that she was stuck twenty years in the past. Instead she had focused on the strange new memories, the dreams, and the mysterious events that had led to her pretending to be newly orphaned by Death Eaters.  
  
~~**~~**~~**~~  
  
Some time later, Hermione was still sitting on the floor of her dorm. Her eyes were dry, though slightly puffy. With new resolution, she pushed herself to her feet and marched to the bathroom where she washed her face briskly. Standing before the mirror, she looked herself in the eye and said, “Get a grip on yourself, you can do this,” before turning away and leaving the dorm, and Gryffindor tower, behind. She was headed to the place where she thought and worked the best: the library.  
  
Her feet carried her with purpose and she didn’t pause to wonder what any of the staff might think if they saw her walking with such determination, clearly knowing the way to her destination better than any new student could ever be expected to.  
  
This time the portraits on the walls did not hide their whispers as she passed, but she ignored them. It seemed that word of her presence in the castle had already spread amongst them.  
  
Her stride slowed as she approached the library doors. She glanced around and quickly spotted a witch sitting at the librarian’s desk, intent on the parchment before her. The witch was short and plump, with grey hair curling about her ears. Only moments after Hermione spotted her, she looked up from her work and grinned. “Good afternoon, young lady. You must be Miss Granger. Dumbledore told me to expect you, but I honestly didn’t think I you would be here so soon. I am Madam Huxley, the school librarian.”  
  
“Pleased to meet you, ma’am,” Hermione squeaked out before remembering that she was still standing by the door and crossing to the woman’s desk.  
  
“My only rule is that you treat my library with respect. If you do that, I think we shall get on splendidly.” Her voice didn’t hold a hint of threat and Hermione found herself smiling.  
  
“I can do that.”  
  
“Very good. Feel free to browse to your heart’s content, just let me know if you need anything or can’t find a particular book.”  
  
“I will.” She took half a step away from the desk and stopped. “Could I borrow some parchment and a quill? I don’t have any of my own right now…”  
  
Madam Huxley cheerfully opened a drawer and pulled out a role of parchment, quill and bottle of ink. “You keep this. I have plenty of my own and like to make sure I have extra, in case anyone ever needs any.”  
  
Her cheerfulness was contagious and Hermione found her earlier sadness fading. “Thank you,” she said softly before retreating to a secluded corner of the library.  
  
Originally her plan had been to get right down to studying, but after further thought she realized she had no idea where to begin. She chewed on her thumbnail as she thought. Best start by getting everything in order, she decided. She pulled the parchment from St. Mungo’s out of her pocket and spread it next to the new one. The notes on it were far from organized. Dipping her quill in the ink, she started to write:  
  
 _1\. Find a way to return home._  
 _2\. Don’t change anything._


	3. Chapter 3

Nearly a month after arriving at Hogwarts found Hermione eating breakfast at the Gryffindor table alone. None of the staff were currently present, and she assumed they were preparing for the impending start of the school year. The thought of it made her stomach do flips. There was less than a week left before the students were to arrive and she hadn’t even received her OWL results yet. What if the results didn’t come in time? Would she be allowed to start classes? Or, even worse, what if she had done so badly that even whoever was grading the tests didn’t know what to do with her?  
  
She looked at her half eaten breakfast, suddenly not hungry. She had had this problem for the last several days. every time her thoughts turned to school, they inevitably turned to the OWLs. She knew for a fact that there was no way she could have passed Ancient Runes, one of her translations had been horribly wrong and she had her doubts about several other interpretations. The more she thought about them, the more questions she decided had to be wrong. The waiting was absolutely terrible. With a sigh, she grumpily speared a sausage and ate half of it before pushing her plate away just in time for an owl to land where the plate had been. Hermione nearly jumped out of her skin and hastily looked around, both to make sure no one had seen that, and to see if anyone else had arrived and the owl simply had the wrong recipient. Still alone in the Great Hall, she turned back to the owl with a mixture of confusion and curiosity.  
  
In 1976, there really wasn’t anyone who would be writing to her, and she hadn’t taken up a subscription to the _Daily Prophet_ , as tempting as it was. She didn’t want to spend any more of the school’s money than she had to. In fact, the only post she had received since arriving at Hogwarts had been a note from Dumbledore, who hadn’t been present that morning either, asking her to meet him in his office. He had presented her with a small pouch of money and insisted that she go straight to Hogsmead to purchase anything and everything she was currently in need of.  
  
The owl was watching her quite intently and, when she didn’t immediately take the envelope, it held out its leg. Hermione hastily removed the envelope and the owl clicked its beak once before taking flight once more. Although the large square envelope was indeed addressed to her, it was not in Dumbledore’s familiar hand writing. Her hands began to tremble when she realized it could only mean one thing. She was torn between the need to know what her scores were and the terror that she really had failed something, so it was with shaking fingers that she carefully broke the seal and pulled out the single sheet of parchment inside.  
  
There was a moment of pure relief when she saw that she had somehow managed an ‘O’ in Ancient Runes, but it quickly turned to disappointment at the ‘E’ she had received in Defense Against the Dark Arts. With a total of nine ‘Outstandings’ and one ‘Exceeds Expectation,’ she tried to tell herself it really wasn’t that bad, she had managed to pass them all, but the ‘E’ felt like it might as well have been a ‘T’.  
  
The speed at which she was going from one extreme to another and back again was doing strange things to her stomach, so before she stood to leave the Great Hall, she spent several long moments with her eyes closed, breathing deeply, still trying to convince herself that an ‘E’ really wasn’t that bad. When she opened her eyes again, she found a second owl standing before her. This one had none of the impatience of the last, and was standing there, watching her with its head cocked to the side. It was quite cute and Hermione found herself smiling slightly as she took the parchment tied to its leg. It gave a soft ‘whoo’ and let her stroke its feathers while it stole a few morsel from from her plate. When it was finished, it gave her finger a nibble and departed.  
  
This time, the parchment was addressed to her in Dumbledore’s handwriting. Unrolling it, it she found a short note asking her to meet him in his office at her convenience. Wondering if it had to do with her OWL results, she decided that she had calmed down enough to be presentable. She left her half-finished breakfast and headed for Dumbledore’s office. By this point, the portraits had mostly lost interest in her presence. They still watched her as she passed, but their whispers no longer followed her wherever she went.  
  
She paused at the stone gargoyle, wondering if the password had changed. Surely he would have told her in his note if it had. “Licorice wands?” Apparently it hadn’t, because the gargoyle immediately sprung aside. She let the slowly moving stairs carry her to the landing and the office door. She knocked and entered when Dumbledore called her in.  
  
“Ah, good morning Miss Granger. I hope you didn’t cut your breakfast short to come see me?” He was smiling cheerfully as he set aside the parchment he had been writing on when she entered.  
  
“No sir, I was already finished when I got your note.”  
  
“Good, good. I believe you have already gotten your OWL results?”  
  
“Yes, they came this morning.” She wasn’t really sure she wanted him to see the grades that she felt were rather embarrassing and not quite up to the standard she had set for herself, but she offered the envelope to him regardless.  
  
“No, I don’t need to see them, I trust you have done quite well. Madam Huxley told me how much time you spent in the library, and I hope it paid off. No, what I called you here for was this,” he said, holding out his own envelope. Even before she took it, she recognized the green ink and Professor McGonagall’s handwriting. “I wanted to give it to you personally, it is your welcome letter and supply list. Seeing as the summer is nearly over, I thought you might be interested in a trip to Diagon Alley to pick up your supplies.”  
  
“Oh, yes, thank you.” In her worry about her OWL results, she had forgotten about needing to get her school supplies all together.  
  
When she took the envelope, he reached into a drawer in his desk and drew out two pouches, one uch larger than the other. “There is enough Floo powder in here for a round trip to Diagon Alley. You can use any fireplace in the castle, although I believe the one in your common room may be the most convenient. Also, this should cover all your expenses.”  
  
“Thank you,” she said again, taking the pouches. “I’ll try to pay back the school when I can.” During her trip to Hogsmead, she had come to terms with using the school’s money out of necessity, although she still felt a bit guilty about it.  
  
“No need to worry about it. Do well in your classes and I will consider it repayed. Considering you need more supplies than most sixth years, feel free to have them delivered to the school. There is no reason to have to haul everything around with you all day.”  
  
“I’ll keep that in mind.”  
  
It wasn’t long before Hermione found herself back in the Gryffindor common room, reading over the welcome letter and supply list. The welcome letter was almost the same as the one given to first years, the exceptions being it left out the first-year warnings and it highlighted a few differences between Hogwarts and Beauxbtons. The supply list had the standard sixth year books, as well as a second list that included the gloves, cauldron and other things that students would normally have accumulated over the last five years. It was a Wednesday, so she figured Diagon Alley couldn’t be too crowded, but it was also the end of summer so there was a chance that wouldn’t mean anything. Figuring it was best not to put it off, she pocketed the supply list and poured some of the Floo powder into the palm of her hand. As she approached the fireplace, she idly wondered if Diagon Alley had changed much over the intervening twenty years.  
  
~~**~~**~~**~~  
  
The fireplace in the Leaky Cauldron spat her out in a small cloud of dust. Business seemed to be doing well, although the atmosphere was rather tense and subdued. No one seemed to notice her arrival, so she dusted herself off and stepped into the back yard to let herself in to Diagon Alley. Unlike the pub, Diagon Alley was just as bustling as usual, and almost as crowded as she had expected. She stood a moment out of the way, watching the crowd move past, before setting off for Madam Malkin’s. She had only gotten the necessities at Gladrag’s during her trip to Hogsmead, so she decided that if she was going to be carrying something around for the rest of the day, she might as well start with some of the lightest.  
  
Madam Malkin was already working with a pair of customers when she entered, so she took a seat at the front of the shop to wait. One of them, a girl with red hair, was standing on the stool while Madam Malkin pinned her robes, while the other, a blonde girl, was standing nearby. “My parents almost didn’t let me come today, you know,” the blonde was saying. “They don’t like all this Dark Lord business, thought it was all just talk before, but that poor family in France… They only let me come because I said I’d be with you the whole time.”  
  
“Mine aren’t sure what to think about it,” the red-head replied. “They don’t hear much about the wizarding world unless I’m home, but Petty isn’t happy about it. She heard us talking and said that if anything happens, it’ll have been my fault.”  
  
“Oh, that’s nonsense. If there’s anyone who’s fault it is, its those Death Eaters who think there’s something wrong with having Muggle parents.” Any further conversation of Death Eaters was stopped by Madam Malkin’s disapproving tutting around her needles. The girl on the stool shifted slightly while her friend looked away. “Oh, hello,” she said, noticing Hermione for the first time. “Do you go to Hogwarts? I don’t think I’ve seen you around.”  
  
Hermione found herself caught a bit off guard. Despite anticipating the crowds, she had been planning on keeping to herself, getting what she needed and going back to the school. “Er, yeah. I’m a transfer, this’ll be my first year.”  
  
“Really? That’s so exciting, I don’t think there’ve been any transfers while we’ve been there, have there Lily?”  
  
Lily? That caught her attention, and she fought to keep her expression neutral. She had thought it might be possible to run in to someone she had heard of while she was here, but she had thought Harry’s parents and their friends had been older, graduated already. Had they really been so young that they’d still been in school only a few years before he had been born?  
  
“No, I haven’t heard of any transfers.”  
  
“Wow, I guess people don’t do it very often then. Where are you transferring from?”  
  
“Oh, uh, I went to Beauxbatons.”  
  
The girl frowned slightly. “But you don’t sound French, isn’t Beauxbatons in France?”  
  
“Yeah, I’m not really from France. I grew up in London and we moved to France a couple years before we found out that I’m a witch.”  
  
“Huh. I’d still expect a _little_ bit of a French accent.”  
  
“Mary,” Lily admonished from across the room.  
  
“No, it’s ok. My French has never been great, and they encouraged us to use English at school since there were so many people who spoke different languages, so I managed to get by.”  
  
“Still, that’s pretty neat. You should stick with us, we can help you find everything you need. It’s really busy today, so it’s going to be a little difficult to get around.”  
  
“I wouldn’t want to impose, I need to get a lot of stuff. My things got lost while we were moving.”  
  
“Oh no, that’s terrible! All the more reason to come with us, we don’t need all that much and can help you carry yours.”  
  
“Only if you want to,” Lily said, walking over with her new robes. “I’m Lily Evans, by the way, and this is Mary MacDonald.”  
  
“Hermione Granger,” she said after only a slight hesitation. “I really wouldn’t want you to go out of your way.”  
  
Lily shrugged. “It’s not really out of the way, and besides, everyone is saying its not safe to be out alone right now.”  
  
It really was hard to argue with that. “Thanks, I’d appreciate the help.”  
  
“It’s no problem, really.” Lily flashed her a grin. “We have to make sure you get a good impression of Hogwarts, before you get the wrong idea from some of the other students.”  
  
“If you’re ready?” Madam Malkin,’s voice cut in. She was waiting with robes ready for Hermione to try on. “What do we need today?”  
  
Obediently, Hermione climbed on the stool and waited. “A full set, please.” After a few quick measurements, Hermione was pulling on a robe. Madam Malkin waisted no time pinning and marking.  
  
“So how come you decided to transfer?” Mary asked after a few minutes of silence.  
  
“Well… Just, family things.”  
  
“Oh.”  
  
“What house do you think you’ll be in?” Lily asked, apparently sensing Hermione’s reluctance to answer. “We’re both in Gryffindor.”  
  
“Well, I’ve already been sorted.”  
  
“How did you manage that?” Mary sounded disbelieving. “I would’ve thought you’d get sorted during the Sorting Ceremony.”  
  
“I got permission to spend the summer at Hogwarts. I had to take my OWLs, since Beauxbatons gives them in sixth year.”  
  
“Well, what house are you in? You can’t tell use you’ve been sorted and not tell us what house!”  
  
“Gryffindor.”  
  
Both girls cheered, and Hermione found herself smiling. Their excitement was infectious. They continued to chat while Madam Malkin worked, the older witch occasionally giving them a mildly disapproving look at their giggling. “You are free to go,” she said eventually. “Come back in a few hours and I will have the rest of your robes available.”  
  
Hermione thanked Madam Malkin before following Lily and Mary out onto the street.  
  
Lily pulled the other two against the wall and out of the flow of traffic once they were outside. “Alright, let’s see what you’ve got to get. We’ll just pick up our things as we go.” Hermione handed over the supply list and Lily gave a low whistle while Mary peered over her shoulder. “You really do need everything. You said your stuff got lost?”  
  
Hermione shrugged. “Something like that.”  
  
The rest of the morning seemed to pass in a blur. Lily and Mary were easy to get along with, and when they stopped to get ice cream at Fortescue’s, Hermione realized that she hadn’t once thought of Lily as Harry’s mother, not since she first realized who she was. She was just a cheerful girl who was excited to meet a new Gryffindor. It wasn’t at all what she had expected when she had first thought of who she might eventually meet. She wasn’t sure which was stranger, realizing Lily was actually a person and much more than the girl she had heard about, or the realization that she had expected otherwise.  
  
“You alright?” Lily asked, pulling Hermione out of her thoughts. She looked up and realized her ice cream had nearly melted while the other two were already finished.  
  
“Yeah, I’m alright. Just thinking.”  
  
“You miss them.”  
  
“Who?”  
  
“Your friends. I don’t think I could go to another school and not miss mine.”  
  
“Yeah, I suppose you’re right.”  
  
Lily grinned. “No, you know I’m right. I don’t think there’s anyone who could do what you’re doing and not miss their friends. Are you going to finish that?”  
  
“Probably not.”  
  
“Great. Let’s go, I think the only place we have left is Flourish and Blotts.”  
  
The book shop was exactly as Hermione remembered it: packed full of students trying to find their books for school, and overflowing shelves and towering stacks of books. “Well, here’s this year’s spellbook,” Lily said, grabbing three books off a shelf just inside the door. “And it looks like the one for herbology should be over there. Which classes were you planning on taking, Hermione?”  
  
Hermione told her all the classes she’d been thinking of continuing as they fought their way to the corner that housed the herbology section. “There’s no way I would want to take Ancient Runes and Arithmancy this year. I barely managed to get an ‘A’ in Arithmancy last year, and I’ve seen some of the work Lily’s done for Ancient Runes. No thank you!”  
  
“Oh, Runes weren’t that bad,” Lily responded.  
  
“Yeah, but you still aren’t going to continue it, are you?”  
  
“I just don’t think I’m going to need to know about Ancient Runes. I’d rather spend my time this year working on subjects that are going to be more useful.”  
  
While the other two talked, Hermione spotted the assigned book for Herbology and pulled several copies off the shelf. “Do you know what you want to do when you graduate?” she asked, handing the other girls their books.  
  
“No, not really. But with all this,” she waved a hand vaguely, “it’ll be really good to know a lot about Defense Against the Dark Arts and Charms and Potions.” She shrugged. “I want to be prepared for whatever happens.”  
  
“I don’t want to talk about all that right now,” Mary said. “It’s too depressing, and I just want to be able to focus on school. C’mon, it looks like we can get over to the Transfiguration books without too much trouble, and then we can go upstairs to find the ones for Defense and Potions.”  
  
“So do you know what you want to do yet?” Lily asked as they wove through the crowds. “Y’know, after graduation? At Hogwarts they encourage us to start taking classes that are useful for the careers we want.”  
  
Hermione shook her head. “I haven’t thought too much about it yet, I guess. I’ve had other things to worry about, besides what kind of job I want.”  
  
“Is that part of why you decided to transfer? Trouble with school?” Hermione didn’t answer immediately. She hadn’t really thought more into the reasons she could use for her transfer, beyond ‘family things.’ Lily, however, saw Hermione hesitate quickly said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to stick my nose in your business. It’s fine if you don’t want to say.”  
  
“No, it’s alright. I guess you could say that’s part of why I decided to go change.”  
  
“Well if you ever want someone to study with, or have trouble with a class, just ask me. I’d love to help.”  
  
“Sure, I’ll keep that in mind.” She forced herself to smile, but felt bad for deceiving the other girl. At least if she let the other students think she had trouble with the classes, they wouldn’t ask too many questions about why she was always studying in the library. Even if what she was really doing was looking for a way to return to the future.  
  
They found their Transfiguration books, and Lily and Mary helped Hermione find her Ancient Runes book, and with a quick trip upstairs, they found the last of their books. By the time they were making their way to the counter to pay, their arms were completely full of books and other supplies. Walking back out to the street was a challenge on its own, as they were giggling while simultaneously trying not to drop anything.  
  
“Is that everything, then?” Mary asked when they were sure nothing would end up on the ground.  
  
“I just need to pick up my robes,” Hermione said, looking at the pile in her arms. She could manage, barely, and it seemed impossible that she would be able to carry a full set of robs on top of it all.  
  
“Will you be going back to the school after this?” Lily asked.  
  
“Yeah, Dumbledore gave me some Floo powder to use.”  
  
“You sure you can carry all that back with you?”  
  
“I’m sure I can figure something out.”  
  
The pile of robes appeared daunting when Madam Malkin brought them out, but the witch took pity on the girls and shrank the robes, before wrapping them so they would be easier to manage. They were laughing again at how ridiculous they were under their mountains of books and other things when they made it to the Leaky Cauldron. Inside was just as subdued as it had been that morning when Hermione arrived and they quieted quickly. Finding an empty table, they unloaded everything onto it in order to sort out who’s was who’s. Hermione’s pile was by far the largest. Lily glanced at her watch and gasped.  
  
“Oh no! Mum’s probably been waiting outside for ages! I’m so sorry, we have to go now. I suppose if you’re staying at the school, we won’t see you on the train, will we?”  
  
“No, but I’ll be at there for the feast.”  
  
“Excelent. Well, good bye until then!” The two girls hastily gathered their things and left. Hermione, now standing alone with her things spent a moment looking between the table and the fireplace, debating the best way to carry it all. It was a bit like putting a puzzle together, but she soon had everything situated, and the pouch of Floo powder in one hand. She carefully made her way to the hearth, a couple of the pub’s patrons watching in quiet amusement and, at the hearth, she let the pouch in her hand tip so that it’s contents fell into the flames. With an exclamation of “Gryffindor Tower,” she was gone.  
  
~~**~~**~~**~~  
  
September first. Hermione had spent the day on pins and needles. She had spent as long in the library as she could before a restless energy forced her to move. She took her lunch outside and ate by the lake, momentarily calmed by the peacefulness of the outdoors. After lunch she wandered the grounds for a while before the early September sun forced her back inside. A bath and a few minutes of reading in her dorm later and she found herself restlessly pacing the halls.  
  
She had come to terms with the knowledge that she would not just be seeing Harry’s parents as well as young Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew, but she would be living with them and going to classes with them. Lily had already proved that the people they were now, in 1976, weren’t the same people she knew them as in 1996. Hermione vowed that she wouldn’t let her knowledge of who they would become cloud how she thought of them now, but somehow that just didn’t seem good enough. She could only prepare so much for meeting James, who was supposed to look almost exactly the same as Harry. And what would happen when she saw Sirius, who she had seen die only months earlier?  
  
By the time night began to fall, she was completely on edge. As the time for the other students to arrive drew near, she found a window overlooking the grounds and waited, watching for the carriages. When the carriages came into view, dark shapes against the dark grounds, she stiffened at the shapes she could just make out pulling them. She couldn’t see them clearly, but there was only one thing they could be: thestrals.  
  
She shivered and turned away from the window.  
  
With the students’ arrival, she knew it was almost time. Heading down towards the Great Hall, she met Professor McGonagall in one of the smaller side corridors. Wordlessly, McGonagall led her to an antechamber off the Great Hall. “I must go get the first years now. You will be called in after they are sorted.”  
  
Hermione nodded and dried her palms on her robes. The professor left her, and Hermione was left to wait as the sound of hundreds of students slowly grew louder.


	4. Chapter 4

“You’re sure that girl we saw with Evans is the new transfer student?” James demanded for perhaps the third time since they had arrived at the castle.  
  
“Yes, James,” Remus replied with a bit more exasperation than the last two times.  
  
“But how do you know for sure?”  
  
“Because we were told there would be a transfer student during the prefect meeting on the train, and Lily told me that she had met her in Diagon Alley.”  
  
“So where is she then?”  
  
“I don’t know, maybe she’s coming in with the first years?”  
Beside them, Sirius was cackling at his plate. “Moved on from Evans already, have you?” he asked. “I thought your heart belonged only to her.”  
  
“Shut up, Sirius. I thought we already went over this? I know where I’m not wanted and I’ve decided to move on.” Despite his statement, his gaze still lingered on the redhead sitting farther up the table, before moving on again to look for the new student.  
  
“Yeah, I still don’t believe that.”  
  
“So you’re sure she’s supposed to be in Gryffindor?” James asked, turning back to Remus.  
  
“Yes, James.”  
  
“Oh come on, there’s no need to sound so excited about it.”  
Remus laughed and shook his head. “Just because you can barely contain your excitement doesn’t mean the rest of us aren’t curious too.”  
  
“You know we’re going to have to give her a great Marauders welcome, right?”  
  
“You already thinking of a prank?” Sirius asked leaning closer. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”  
  
“Eh… I dunno about a prank just yet, I was thinking more like a party.”  
  
“What, the great James Potter doesn’t want to prank someone?” Remus asked with a disbelieving snort.  
  
“Well-” James cut himself off when Professor McGonagall walked in carrying to Sorting Hat on its customary stool. He watched eagerly as the first years filed in and frowned in disappointment when the new girl wasn’t with them.  
  
“If she’s already been sorted, she probably wouldn’t come in with the first years,” Remus whispered when the Hat was finished with its song.  
  
“Yeah, well, how often do we get transfers? She might. And why’s she already been sorted?” James whispered back while Professor McGonagall began calling the first years, starting with a ‘Bell, Allen.’  
  
“I have no idea.” They paused to applaud the new Gryffindor.  
  
The rest of the Sorting continued uneventfully, the Marauders celebrating with the rest of their house every time someone was sent their way, and booing whenever someone was sorted in to Slytherin. James’ attention drifted to Lily several times during the ceremony, and while the second to last first year was sitting on the stool, Sirius elbowed him in the side. “You sure you’re done with her, mate?”  
  
“Yes,” James ground out, flushing.  
  
Sirius sat back with a laugh. “I’ll believe that when I see it.”  
The ceremony ended with the last two first years being sorted into Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Professor McGonagall took the Hat away and the Headmaster stood. “I know you are all eager to begin this year’s feast, but alas I must delay you with one thing that cannot wait until after.” There were several groans heard throughout the hall. Dumbledore had never made them wait before, always saving his speeches for after the feast. “That is the matter of a transfer student, the first Hogwarts has seen in many years.” The groans quickly turned to excited whispers. “I would like to welcome Miss Hermione Granger into our midst.”  
  
There was a slight pause before a door near the staff table opened and a girl stepped out. She was fairly average looking, with bushy brown hair. She stood, fidgeting slightly, near the staff table as Dumbledore finished his introduction. “Due to arrangements made over the summer, she has already been sorted into Gryffindor. I hope that you will treat her as one of your own, and show her every courtesy I have come to expect of the students here.” The moment Dumbledore finished speaking, Lily was already waving and beckoning at the girl, who hurried to sit next to the red-head. Gryffindor broke into cheers that easily outmatched those received by any first year.  
  
“Huh, you were right after all,” James said when Dumbledore took his seat.  
  
“Dunno why you’re surprised by that,” Remus replied, already piling food onto his plate.  
  
~~**~~**~~**~~  
  
Farther down the table, Hermione took a seat between Lily and Mary. “Are you alright?” Lily asked when the last of the cheers had finally died down. “You looked nervous up there.”  
  
“What she means to say,” Mary said from Hermione’s other side, “is that you looked like a deer caught in the headlights.” Hermione laughed at the muggle phrase.  
  
“I’m alright, it’s just nerves. I’ve had nothing to do all day except wait for everyone else to get here.”  
  
“So you’ve already been here a while, how does our food compare to the Beauxbatons?” Lily asked as she passed Hermione a platter.  
  
Hermione thought back to the time Hogwarts had hosted the Beauxbatons students in her fourth year, while serving herself some roast. What had Fleur said about the food? “It’s… heavier than what we had at Beauxbatons. But it’s good, I like it.”  
  
“Excellent. Dunno what we’d do if you didn’t.”  
  
“What do you even do here in the summer?” Mary asked.  
  
Hermione shrugged. “I spent a lot of time in the library studying. And I went to Hogsmead a few times when Professor McGonagall decided I’d been inside too much.”  
  
“You kept working even after you took your OWLs?”  
  
“Well… I wanted to look up all the questions I could remember. I wasn’t sure how well I did.” Mary shook her head in amazement.  
  
The conversation lulled while the three of them ate their fill. Hermione found herself acutely aware of the other students around her, catching several of them watching her almost every time she glanced up. She thought she could occasionally hear them talking about her, but over the dull roar that filled the hall, it was hard to be sure. It was strange, suddenly being the center of attention, almost unsettling. Was this how it had always been for Harry?  
  
“Don’t like all the attention?” Lily asked when the food faded away and was replaced by desert.  
  
“Not really,” Hermione said with a grimace.  
  
“Don’t worry, give them a few days and most of them will forget you’re even here. They’re just excited right now, since we don’t normally get new students.”  
  
“Yeah, the only reason you aren’t as curious as the rest of them is because you already met me.”  
  
“Touche.”  
  
“Here, you should really try the treacle tart. It’s really good.” Hermione took the offered dish, but struggled to keep the shock from her face. Lily had sounded almost exactly like Harry when she said that.  
  
Lily watched an indiscernible expression cross the other girls face and waited while Hermione served herself some of the tart before asking, “You alright?”  
  
“Yeah. It’s just been a long day, you know? Waiting around is exhausting.” She forced herself to smile again, but wasn’t sure she was convincing anyone. Lily stared at her for a moment longer then nodded.  
  
“I’ll be taking the first years up to the tower first thing after Dumbledore’s speech. You can come with us, if you like. So you don’t have to fight through the crowds.”  
  
“You’re a prefect?” Hermione asked. “Why didn’t you tell me?”  
  
Lily turned so Hermione could see the badge pinned on the other side of her robes, and shrugged. “Didn’t seem important.”  
  
“Well, I think I’ll accept. I don’t really want to be stuck in the middle of a crowd where everyone wants to get a look at me.”  
  
“Fair enough. I’ll introduce you to the other prefect, too. He isn’t so bad, but his friends can be trouble.”  
  
~~**~~**~~**~~  
  
“Well they seem to be getting along rather well,” Sirius commented as the feast neared its end.  
  
“Really? I hadn’t noticed,” James responded sarcastically.  
“Of course not. You only kept glancing down there between every over bite.”  
  
“Whatever. I think I’ll go over and say hi when the feast is over. You lot are coming with me.”  
  
Remus chuckled. “Sorry, but I’ve got prefect duties.”  
  
While James was still grumbling at Remus, Dumbledore stood and a hush fell over the students. “Welcome, one and all, to a new year at Hogwarts. I know that many of you are already yearning for your beds, but there are a few things I wish to say. First: I would like to welcome Ambrose Crowther as our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.” A man nearing the end of his middle-age years stood briefly at the introduction. He looked weathered, with a dark tan and deep creases lining his eyes and mouth. His grey-streaked brown hair was pulled back into a short ponytail. “Now, as always the Forbidden Forest remains off limits to all students. Mr. Filch asks me to remind you that there is a list of all banned items in his office and that students caught breaking the rules will be dealt with most severely.” Dumbledore cast a look out at the students over the top of his glasses that didn’t look severe at all. “Lastly, in light of the actions taken by a certain group of individuals this summer, I would like to remind everyone that you have nothing to worry about so long as you remain here, whatever your choices and opinions may be.”  
  
His last statement garnered a flurry of whispers. Most of the students had heard of the Death Eater attack in France, but for many it had seemed a world away. For those with muggle parents, it had been a shock that gave new meaning the propaganda and posturing from the last few years. The Marauders all traded looks. They had all been spending a couple weeks at James’s when the heard what happened in France. Remus had immediately written home and James’s parents had almost sent the other three boys home.  
  
Dumbledore let the whispers run their course before continuing. “And now, so as not to end on a dark note, Quidditch tryouts will be on the third Saturday of the month, if you are interested in trying out, please see your head of house. With that, I would like to wish you all a good night.”  
  
With a tremendous scraping of benches across the floor, the students rose as one and slowly started making their way out of the Great Hall. James, Sirius and Peter left Remus calling for the first years, making their way against the crowd, up the table to where Lily and her friends had been sitting. Now in their sixth year, it was easy to see over many of the younger students’ heads and James led them in a beeline for the redhead. Their job was made easier because she was working her way down he table, working on corralling the first years towards the doors and Remus. James grinned when he saw the head of bushy hair following closely behind Lily.  
  
“Oi, Evans!” James called when they were close enough.  
  
“What do you want, Potter?”  
  
“Just thought we’d come say hi, introduce ourselves.” He turned to the new girl and stuck his hand out. “James Potter, and these two are Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew. Welcome to Gryffindor.” Several long moments passed where she stared at them, wide eyes flitting back and forth between the three of them. James dropped his hand.  
  
“Can’t you see she doesn’t want to talk to you right now?” Lily demanded. Taking the girl’s arm in hers she said, “If you don’t mind,” and pulled her away.  
  
“What was that about?” James asked, turning to the other two. He had never gotten that reaction from anyone before.  
  
“I think you came on a bit strong, mate,” Sirius said, clapping James consolingly on the shoulder.  
  
~~**~~**~~**~~  
  
Hermione let Lily pull her away, thankful that she had an excuse to leave. She thought she’d been prepared to meet them, but it had still come as a shock. She wasn’t sure what caught her more off guard: how similar James looked to Harry, how completely young Sirius had looked, or Peter Pettigrew’s presence with them.  
  
“I’d watch out for those three, if I were you,” Lily was saying. “They can be trouble.”  
  
“You know, I think I’m just going to go ahead,” Hermione said. By the time they had left James and his friends behind, they had gathered a following of first years. “I’ll see you up in the dorm.”  
  
Lily looked at her uncertainly. “If you’re sure. You looked a little freaked out.” Hermione shrugged, at a loss for what to say. Finally Lily nodded. “Alright, I’ll see you up there.”  
  
Hermione slipped out of Lily’s grasp and, as they left the Great Hall where the crowds began to disperse as the different houses went their own ways, hurried ahead. It wasn’t hard to get far enough away that she couldn’t hear the first years’ excited exclamations, and when she had left them far behind, she forced her pace to slow. It felt like she was running away, which just made her feel ridiculous. There was no reason for her to be running, yet she was as Mary had put it, freaked out.  
  
The sounds of hundreds of students making their way to their dormitories and common rooms echoed through the halls and passages, accompanying her as she walked towards her own dorm. She let the familiar sounds calm her, imagining for a moment that she wasn’t stuck twenty years in the past. It helped her think clearer. Why had she been so surprised when James greeted her? She had known to expect him and his friends. Had it been because she hadn’t been expecting them at that moment? Was it suddenly seeing Harry, a man she knew had just died, and the man who betrayed them? She wouldn’t be able to let their presence surprise her forever, she would only be able to avoid them until the first class they had together, which as far as she knew, could be first thing in the morning.  
  
And yet she was just fine around Lily. Was it because she wasn’t as familiar as the others? After all, she didn’t really look like anyone she knew (except her eyes, of course), she hadn’t met her, and really didn’t know all that much about her beyond that she would become Harry’s mother in a few years and her sister was perhaps one of the sourest people Hermione had ever heard of. She would have to figure out something to do about the awkwardness that came with knowing what would become of these people over the next twenty years, and quickly.  
  
She had arrived on the seventh floor and was nearing the portrait of the Fat Lady when she could hear voices up ahead. Rounding the last corner, she found a small group of first years with, she assumed, the other prefect. He looked extremely familiar and it wasn’t until she heard him explaining the password to the first years that she realized he had to be Remus Lupin. Until that moment, she had forgotten that he had been a prefect, and caught up as she was, she hadn’t even noticed that he had been missing from James’s group of friends.  
  
“Be sure to remember the password, otherwise you’ll have to find someone else from Gryffindor to let you in. It also changes occasionally, so one of the prefects will give you the new password when it does. Right now the password is ‘gloxinia.’” When he said it, the portrait swung open. He held the portrait open and allowed the first years to file in past him. He glanced up when the last of the students past him and smiled when he saw Hermione. He held he portrait open, waiting for her as she approached. “Escaping the madness down there?” he asked.  
  
Suddenly not trusting herself to speak, she nodded and slipped past him, managing a small ‘thanks’ as she went. Remus followed and they found themselves in the middle of the first years, who were all standing clustered around the entry way. Remus ushered them farther in, admonishing them for blocking the way and assuring them that they were free to look around while they waited for Lily to arrive with the rest of their classmates. Hermione took the chance to flee up to her dormitory without being noticed. It wasn’t that she was surprised to see him, not like she had been the others, but it was the sheer familiarity. Out of all of them, she had known him the best in her own time, he had been her Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, after all. She wanted to cry after seeing someone she knew, although logically she knew that she didn’t really know this Remus. The next twenty years would turn him into the Professor Lupin she knew.  
  
She stood for a while with her back pressed against the door, her eyes tightly closed, silently repeating ‘these aren’t the people I know,’ over and over again. She stayed like that until she heard footsteps and voices on the stairs and quickly moved to her bed. When the door opened a moment later, she was pulling her pajamas out of her wardrobe. A pair of girls came entered, giggling about something. They made it halfway into the room before they noticed Hermione beside her bed and introduced themselves as Evelyn Moore and Marlene McKinnon, before Evelyn pulled something from her trunk and the two of them huddled on her bed over it. Hermione drew her curtains closed and changed slowly behind them.  
  
~~**~~**~~**~~  
  
Lily herded the first years she had gathered up to the tower, on the way explaining various secrets of the castle that would make their lives significantly easier, if they remembered them. Just outside the Great Hall, she had had to stop and point a wayward Hufflepuff in the right direction to hopefully catch up with the other members of his House. That delay had been all it took for Hermione to disappear from sight. She wouldn’t pretend to know the girl, but she would be lying if she said she wasn’t a little worried about her. Hermione had been acting almost like a completely different person from the girl she had met in Diagon Alley, much more reserved and nervous than she had been when they were shopping.  
  
She wondered if it was just nerves from the new year, or if it was being the center of attention amongst so many strangers. Whatever the reason was, she wanted Hermione to be comfortable at the school and not feel the need to run every time someone new wanted to meet her. She wanted to blame James and his friends for her sudden departure, but although her reaction to them had been unusual, she knew she couldn’t fully blame them. They really hadn’t done anything at all, aside from introducing themselves. That was another odd thing she had noticed. The boys hadn’t tried anything and James, who would usually take any opportunity to bother her, had hardly spared her a second look. Sure, he was still his usual cocky self, but something seemed different.  
  
She pulled herself from her thoughts just in time to stop one of the first years from falling through the disappearing step. Guiding them the rest of the way up, she gave them her spiel about remembering the password before turning to the portrait and saying ‘gloxinia.’ The portrait opened and she let the awed youngsters enter the common room, where they found the rest of the first years and Remus already waiting for them. She smiled and went to stand with him. “For those of you who came up with me, this is your other prefect, Remus Lupin. And for everyone else, I’m Lily Evans. If you have any questions about anything, you’re welcome to come and find either of us. Now since the lot of you look exhausted, the boy’s dorms are up the stairs to the right, and the girl’s are on the left. Both of you will find your dormitory on the first landing.”  
  
Taking it as a dismissal, the first years erupted into chatter amongst themselves as they began leaving the common room.  
  
“Sorry,” she said, turning to Remus, “got held up for a moment.”  
  
“James?” Remus asked. Lily nodded and only kept herself from scowling so she wouldn’t scare the first years. “He seems fascinated by her. Hermione Granger.”  
  
“Does he, now?”  
  
“Wouldn’t shut up about her during the feast. He spotted you guys when we were shopping in Diagon Alley and refused to go talk to you.”  
  
Lily snorted, “Now that’s a first. Well, maybe you should tell him to leave her alone. I don’t think she was too happy when he brought the others over.”  
  
“You were eating with her, is she alright? She seemed really bothered by something when she came up. Went straight to her dorm.”  
  
“I don’t think she likes all the attention,” Lily said with a sigh, “but I’m really not sure. She wasn’t like that when we were in Diagon Alley.”  
  
Remus nodded. “I’ll see what I can do to make sure James doesn’t do anything too crazy.” As if on cue, the portrait opened and the rest of the Marauders, as well as a number of other Gryffindors, arrived.


End file.
